I'll Be Home for Christmas
Karen Clarke
Rating: 4 stars
Nina Bailey loves Christmas. Except this year she doesn't. Because it turns out that her husband-to-be has been cheating on her - and her beautiful wedding ceremony in the snow is cancelled.
She's not really in the mood to be jolly, sing carols, or go anywhere near gingerbread men - in fact, what Nina wants is to avoid the whole thing. So she's come to stay at her Aunt Dolly's cosy cafe to nurse her broken heart.
Nina is determined to get through Christmas with no tinsel, no fuss - and definitely no flirting. So when she arrives and meets infuriatingly handsome Ryan Sadler, with his gorgeous forest-green eyes, she is not best pleased. And when Nina overhears him making fun of her, she is furious. (There might have been an incident with a koala onesie and a spilled bottle of milk, but that wasn't her fault!) So despite the spark between them, and the fact that he can whip up a fabulous dinner faster than she can say Michelin star, romance and Christmas are off the menu this year.
Unfortunately, Aunt Dolly hasn't quite got the message, going to great lengths to provide a proper British Christmas for her beloved niece: a true home away from home. With sparkling lights adorning every wall and a tree to equal the Rockefeller Center's and, yes, mistletoe above every doorway, can Nina resist the magic of Christmas - and stick to her no-romance rule?
This heart-warming romantic comedy will have you reaching for eggnog, roasted chestnuts and gingerbread cookies! The perfect festive book to read curled up in front of the fire, for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Holly Martin and Debbie Johnson.
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I love Karen Clarke's books. They're feel-good, lighthearted and full of humour. I adore the novels set in France by this author, the location sounds so idyllic and the characters all seem so friendly. The cover initially drew me in, the village in the cover looks so cosy and festive and I love the twinkly lights and the ice skating rink - I couldn't wait to dive in!
I loved this novel. I love the fact that the characters mainly remain the same and I loved reading about my old favourites such as Dolly and Charlie. They seem like such a caring and fun pair and I enjoyed reading all about their match-making antics. My mouth was watering after reading more about Dolly's cafe and the delicious treats that she has on offer. I wish I had an aunt that could bake like Dolly!
As with the other novels by Karen Clarke, this one is easy to read and with every available opportunity I was picking up my Kindle dying to read more! As mentioned above, it's set in France - and what a cosy sounding village it is. It's full of community spirit and it was a joy to read about the other villagers shops, such as the florist and also the market with it's beautiful Christmas ornaments and charms.
There's also plenty of drama in this novel as well as lots of festive-feels (despite Nina not wanting to have anything to do with Christmas this year!), and it was lovely to read about Nina coming out of her shell with her relationship with Ryan. I'm very sad that this is the last in the series! But I know that Karen Clarke will pull it out of the bag with her next novel. They're utterly spellbinding and I adore them. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.